Ipswich Preview June 30- Friday Best Bets & Tips
New Zealand Preview July 1 – Saturday Best Bets & Tips
New Zealand Tips 01/07/2023
Our form expert provides New Zealand tips for today’s horse racing at Hastings & Ruakaka Racecourses and gives his best bets.
HASTINGS
BEST BET 🏆
Race 9: No.5 ON THE PROWL ($8.50 with bet365)
The Ralf Manning-trained ON THE PROWL is in top-shelf form of late and looks a tad overs for this contest today. Last start, the Contributer mare made light work of the heavy track when she easily accounted for a BM75 over 1400m at Avondale. She carried 57kgs that day to win by a length on the line with Tayla Mitchell aboard. She is a very consistent mare with her 18 starts resulting in four wins and eight minor placings. Mitchell’s record on four-year-old is just as impressive with seven previous rides ending in three wins and two runner-up finishes as well. Ideally drawn in gate two today, she is yet to miss a podium finish in eight starts on heavy tracks and looks a solid winning chance at odds here.
NEXT BEST 🥈
Race 7: No.6 PUKE PARK ($8.50 with Bet Right)
Fraser Auret saddles-up two runners here as we run with PUKE PARK looking the stronger chance of taking out this contest. Last start, the Ocean Park gelding resumed after eight months off the scene and clearly in need of the run, finished mid-field in a BM75 Hcp over 1200m at Awapuni. His resume suggests we should see a vast improvement here as he is a two-time winner when second-up and he is a track specialist, winning two of his three previous visits to the Hastings track. All four career wins have come on wet tracks so the Heavy 10 conditions today look ideal. With a trouble-free run here, he looks right in the mix.
RUAKAKA
BEST BET 🏆
Race 5: No.6 DANCARINA ($4 with Palmerbet)
The Mark Walker-trained DANCARINA is second-up today and ticks enough boxes to suggest she is a winning chance here. Last start, the Sebring mare resumed off a lengthy eight-month break when she beat all but one home in a BM75, here over 1100m. She came from mid-field on the turn and made up a lot of ground to finish within a length of the winner. She gets a little more ground to run over today and has Michael McNab in the saddle for the first time. Already a winner when second-up and a winner at the track, from gate two today, she should prove hard to hold out here.
NEXT BEST 🥈
Race 7: No.7 FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS ($4 with Ladbrokes)
An open affair here with almost half the field under double figures as we run with the locally-trained FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS who is third-up today and sports a glowing resume that suggests he is a strong chance of taking the Cup home. Last start, the Contributer gelding did well to take home third prize in Open company over 1200m at Te Rapa. The heavy conditions didn’t suit that day as he finished four lengths from the winner. A forecast Soft 6 is ideal for him here, with four of his five career wins coming on the firmer going. Apprentice, Kelsey Hannan, has steered the four-year-old to five podium finishes from seven previous rides and returns today for this assignment. Ideally drawn in gate three, he maps to settle in the first half-dozen and already a winner when third-up, he looks one of the stronger chances here.
